Washington, D.C. — CAP Executive Vice President for Policy Carmel Martin issued the following statement today reacting to the administration’s move to phase in high-stakes consequences for teachers and students that are based on new assessments tied to college- and career-ready standards:

Secretary Duncan’s announcement and remarks addressing concerns about the quantity and quality of student assessments and their connection to teacher evaluations is a significant step in the right direction. Allowing for more time and flexibility to ensure fair educator evaluations based on the new student assessments shows a willingness to listen and learn from parents, teachers, and students.

For far too long, teachers and students were saddled with ineffective fill-in-the-bubble tests that overpromised and underperformed, taking away valuable instruction time. The good news is that in addition to raising expectations to ensure that every child receives a high-quality education, this school year most states will replace outdated and ineffective tests with better assessments that measure real-world skills that matter—and give teachers the information they need to provide the support to kids who are falling behind. Today marks an important move toward better, fewer, and fairer tests.